Speaking at an investor briefing, Hirai said that approximately half of all PS4 users have registered to PlayStation Plus, and that the number of active users on PSN and the Sony Entertainment Network is above 52 million worldwide.

On Sony’s $1.2 billion financial lost posted earlier this month, Hirai stated, “As explained at last week’s earnings announcement, we recorded a substantial net loss for the 2013 fiscal year. Looking to fiscal 2014, due to the delayed recovery of our electronics business, and the continuation of our comprehensive restructuring program, we are again anticipating a net loss, of 50 billion yen.

“When I was appointed president, I made revitalizing the electronics business my highest priority, and we have since executed many initiatives. Yet, while the Entertainment and Financial Services businesses posted results that met or exceeded our projections last year, I am extremely disappointed that we have not been able to complete our electronics turnaround.

“In particular the fact that we have recorded a net loss for two successive years is something I take very seriously, and being unable to meet the expectations our stakeholders is something I deeply regret.”

The rise in paid PS Plus subscriptions cannot be a negative factor for Sony, but it remains to be seen just how much money that equates to. We’ll have more if we hear it.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2014/05/23/ps4-playstation-plus-half-of-owners-are-paying/feed/0PS4 live TV cloud service in the works, supports DVR & on-demand viewinghttp://www.vg247.com/2014/01/08/ps4-live-tv-cloud-service-in-the-works-supports-dvr-on-demand-viewing/
http://www.vg247.com/2014/01/08/ps4-live-tv-cloud-service-in-the-works-supports-dvr-on-demand-viewing/#commentsWed, 08 Jan 2014 11:34:13 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=438385PlayStation 4’s suite of multimedia services looks set to be bolstered with a cloud-enabled live TV service, launching in the US this year.

CVG reports that the service will offer PS4 owners a range of TV shows, movies and potential package deals. While the US service will launch in 2014, no European equivalent has been discussed.

Similar to Sony’s PS Now cloud gaming service, the TV format will allow viewers to pause content on one device and resume it again on another. Beyond Sony’s hardware stock, the company hopes to bring the service to iPad, iPhone and Android devices.

CVG added that during his CES 2014 press event, Sony’s Kaz Hirai stressed that this service is not aimed at competing with existing cable networks. He added, “We’re trying to resolve one of the biggest hurdles, which is watching live TV and streaming content on different devices. Everybody’s been talking about it, I don’t think anyone has been able to do it. We’re offering live TV and we’re combining it with other video services… We don’t set out to do this and say we’re going to compete with cable companies.”

Speaking in a video interview with Engadget, Hirai said the concept of PlayStation Now has been knocking around the business for some time, but it’s only now that the infrastructure is in place to support the service.

“PlayStation Now is actually something we’ve always talked about but were not able to deliver because of network restrictions and latency issues,” he said.

“We’ve been working with Gaikai to really deliver a PlayStation experience through the network with the least amount of latency and ease of use. What that allows us to do is not only deliver PlayStation content to PS3, PS4 [and] PS Vita, but down the road it’s going to allow us to provide the same PlayStation service or content to tablets, smartphones – whether they be on android or on iPad, for example.

“That really expands the world of PlayStation beyond the PlayStation specific consoles and I think it bodes well for PlayStation and the content creators as well. And most definatley for the customers.”

When asked to confirm if Sony plans to push PlayStation Now out to non-Sony devices, he replied; “that’s the whole concept behind PlayStation Now.”

PlayStation Now was announced yesterday as part of Sony’s CES conference. The service will allow users to stream games to PlayStation 4 and Vita, and is due in the summer in the US.

It’s worth checking the full video to see how slick Kaz Hirai is, especially when he’s talking about a cheaper high-end camcorder with the classic line, “it’s 4K for 2K”.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2014/01/08/playstation-now-will-benefit-content-creators-says-kaz-hirai/feed/0Sony CEO: restructuring is “an ongoing process”http://www.vg247.com/2014/01/08/sony-ceo-restructuring-is-an-ongoing-process/
http://www.vg247.com/2014/01/08/sony-ceo-restructuring-is-an-ongoing-process/#commentsWed, 08 Jan 2014 08:22:27 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=438301Sony boss Kaz Hirai has said that restructuring plans across the business will be ongoing as it looks to remold the company and play to its strengths.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast this morning, Hirai said that following a disappointing quarter where the company was forced to slash profit projections by 40 per cent, the business continues to looks for ways to save money in areas that are not performing to expectations.

“If we’re talking about restructuring it’s something that we’ve undertaken already in the past,” he told the BBC. “Some of our businesses are growing so those areas will have more and more employees. Other businesses where it’s shrinking, we may have to restructure. That’s part of business. It’s not something we decide on one day, that’s an ongoing process.”

“If you look at it from a quarterly perspective it was a disappointment but one quarter does not make the entire business,” he added, noting that all companies can be punished by factors out of their control like a fluctuating exchange rate.

“At the same time every quarter matters so it’s about making sure we have the best products, that we do it in the most efficient way, and there are some things we can’t control like the exchange rates. We need to make sure the business is robust enough so that it can deal with fluctuations in the exchange rate.”

Yesterday Sony announced it had sold over 4.2 million PlayStation 4 consoles but when pushed by the BBC as to whether it was ready to declare itself the victor in the fight against Microsoft’s Xbox One, Hirai just reiterated previous comments that; “I’ve always said that a console business is a five to ten year proposition.”

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2014/01/08/sony-ceo-restructuring-is-an-ongoing-process/feed/0Sony shareholders’ meeting to discuss splitting electronics and entertainment divisionshttp://www.vg247.com/2013/06/19/sony-to-hold-shareholders-meeting-tomorrow-to-discuss-splitting-electronics-and-entertainment-divisions/
http://www.vg247.com/2013/06/19/sony-to-hold-shareholders-meeting-tomorrow-to-discuss-splitting-electronics-and-entertainment-divisions/#commentsWed, 19 Jun 2013 15:15:34 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=380549Sony will hold a meeting tomorrow, in which it will discuss a proposed split between its entertainment and electronics divisions, according to a Nikkei report.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2013/06/19/sony-to-hold-shareholders-meeting-tomorrow-to-discuss-splitting-electronics-and-entertainment-divisions/feed/7PS4 is “first and foremost a video game console,” says Hiraihttp://www.vg247.com/2013/05/30/ps4-is-first-and-foremost-a-video-game-console-says-hirai/
http://www.vg247.com/2013/05/30/ps4-is-first-and-foremost-a-video-game-console-says-hirai/#commentsThu, 30 May 2013 20:59:05 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=372083Sony CEO Kaz Hirai said at the D11 conference today that PS4 is first and foremost a console. Other functionalities, while present, will take a backseat.

Speaking with reporters at the conference, Hirai said focusing on gaming is what has worked for the firm in the past, and will with PS4.

“The most important thing we need to do is agree and understand that the PS4 is a great video game console that appeals to video gamers,” he said. “If we miss that part, I don’t think we get the initial establishment of the console. That formula has worked for us with all our consoles, including the PS3.

“Providing other non-game content is an area we will reveal and talk about in the coming months, but it’s first and foremost a video game console.”

Sony is expected to reveal more on PS4 at E3 next month during a presentation on June 10.

Microsoft is also scheduled for June 10, and it has promised to focus on games, as its initial Xbox One reveal was more or less about functions other than gaming.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2013/05/30/ps4-is-first-and-foremost-a-video-game-console-says-hirai/feed/27Kaz Hirai hints the PS4 will release after Xbox 720http://www.vg247.com/2013/01/21/kaz-hirai-hints-the-ps4-will-release-after-xbox-successor/
http://www.vg247.com/2013/01/21/kaz-hirai-hints-the-ps4-will-release-after-xbox-successor/#commentsMon, 21 Jan 2013 16:36:36 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=331560Kaz Hirai has hinted the next PlayStation console will not go on sale before Microsoft launches its Xbox 360 follow up.

When asked about console release cycles, Hirai indicated Sony is waiting for Microsoft to strike first. Speaking to The Times, he said, “why go first when your competitors can look at your specifications and come up with something better?”

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2013/01/21/kaz-hirai-hints-the-ps4-will-release-after-xbox-successor/feed/90Sony looking at new projects to ‘wow’ its customers & avoid bureaucracy, says Kaz Hiraihttp://www.vg247.com/2013/01/09/sony-looking-at-new-projects-to-wow-its-customers-avoid-bureaucracy-says-kaz-hirai/
http://www.vg247.com/2013/01/09/sony-looking-at-new-projects-to-wow-its-customers-avoid-bureaucracy-says-kaz-hirai/#commentsWed, 09 Jan 2013 10:14:10 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=328406Sony’s CEO Kaz Hirai has laid out the company’s approach to the future, following its CES presentation. Hirai has painted a roadmap consisting of new projects, a stronger focus and by giving its customers a ‘wow’ factor.

Speaking with The Verge after his CES presentation, Hirai agreed that Sony needs to re-align its focus and get consumers back on-side.

Said Hirai, “We need to really take a look at where we excel and make investments to make sure that we continue to excel in those areas that will manifest itself in exciting projects that will really wow our customers.

“I’ve spent a lot of time visiting a variety of different sites we have all around the world, and that creative DNA of wanting to really push the envelope and come up with some products that really wow customers: that DNA is still there, and that is the heart and soul of this company.

Hirai added, “It’s my job to make sure that those great ideas really rise to the top and don’t get mired down in bureaucracy”, in response to an earlier claim that many of Sony’s, “great ideas unfortunately just never rose to the top” and were smothered “somewhere in bureaucracy”.

“That’s why I make it a personal mission of my own to really spend time with the R&D guys,” he added, “the product development guys, and have them really come to me with some ideas that they have so that I can personally get involved, which I am doing with several projects.”

It’s a hands-on sentiment, but will it be enough to clear up the bureaucratic quagmire Hirai speaks of? Is Sony in need of a shot in the arm, or is this all just a lull before PS4 drops? Let us know below.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2013/01/09/sony-looking-at-new-projects-to-wow-its-customers-avoid-bureaucracy-says-kaz-hirai/feed/38Sony’s CES presentation skirts around gaming, talks tech – reporthttp://www.vg247.com/2013/01/08/sonys-ces-presentation-skirts-around-gaming-talks-tech-report/
http://www.vg247.com/2013/01/08/sonys-ces-presentation-skirts-around-gaming-talks-tech-report/#commentsTue, 08 Jan 2013 08:49:22 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=327963Sony’s CES presentation took place in the wee hours this morning, although PS3, PS4 and PS Vita were notably absent from proceedings and instead, tech took centre stage. Some critics have even gone so far as to raise concern over what has been called by one site as ‘disappointing’.

Variety reports that Kaz Hirai made clear his intentions for steering Sony into the next wave of consumer electronics from the outset, stating, “When I was named CEO, I made a commitment to revitalize Sony’s electronics business”, which he said includes, “Digital imaging, games and mobile.”

Hirai and Sony towed a heavy line regarding the recording of 4k resolution films and television, and that the company is pushing for the format as standard, citing the incoming Will Smith flick ‘After Earth’, along with films ‘Elysium’ and ‘Oblivion’ as the next titles to sport the flashy new visual sheen.

There will also be a new line of what the site called ‘Mastered in 4K’ Blu-Ray releases, including The Amazing Spider-Man and Total Recall. There was also talk of a 4k video camera and a – presumably rather expensive – 84-inch Bravia 4k television that I’m sure you nor I could ever afford. There was also the reveal of a new 1080p Xperia Z smartphone.

IGN called the presentation “disappointing”, and was full of claims that Sony had been working in the consumer electronic business longer, better and harder than the rest of the pack, as if trying to remind attendees that they still bore relevance in the industry. The site also said that the presentation’s actual announcements felt like “an after-thought” by comparison.

During his presentation, Hirai stated Vita sales were on the “low end of what we expected,” noting it can take 5-10 years before Sony can acknowledge whether a product has been successful or not, adding that “long term is what is important.”

Chatter is rife among the industry that a PS4 reveal is incoming at Sony’s ‘Destination PlayStation’ event, kicking off February 25th-28th. It’s a retail-only event, which typically signifies that retailers such as GameStop and supermarket chains will be getting an exclusive glimpse at what game publishers will be releasing throughout the year ahead.

This means that they may well see PS4 ahead of the press, as has been known to happen in previous generations.

The question is: given what we know about Sony’s financial losses last year, and its ailing performance in other areas of consumer media, would the reveal of PS4 help turn around the company’s dip in any real, significant way? Yesterday, Michael Pachter says ‘yes’, but sitting on this side of the fence – among the press – there’s a mixed air of caution and excitement surrounding the company’s future. it could go either way.

For now though, our own sources have told us everything there is to know – at the moment – regarding the PS4’s specs. Check out our report here.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2013/01/08/sonys-ces-presentation-skirts-around-gaming-talks-tech-report/feed/34Vita sales are “where we would expect it to be,” says Sony CEO Kazuo Hiraihttp://www.vg247.com/2012/08/30/vita-sales-are-where-we-would-expect-it-to-be-says-sony-ceo-kazuo-hirai/
http://www.vg247.com/2012/08/30/vita-sales-are-where-we-would-expect-it-to-be-says-sony-ceo-kazuo-hirai/#commentsThu, 30 Aug 2012 14:50:38 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=291925Vita sales are in line with Sony expectations, according to Kazuo Hirai; however, Sony’s CEO admitted sales were a bit off in some regions.

Speaking with Reuters, Hirai declined to say where sales were lower than expected, and didn’t say whether slower sales has anything to do with difficulties attracting third-party publisher support – something he has stated previously.

“Worldwide, the Vita is pretty much along where we would expect it to be, maybe trending behind in certain territories,” Hirai said during the IFA consumer trade show in Berlin.

Hirai’s comments echo those of SCEA president and CEO, Jack Tretton, who said earlier this month Vita sales were “acceptable.”

Sony’s Q1 financial figures lumped Vita sales in with those of PSP, with the firm citing hardware sales of 1.4 million, down from the 1.8 million PSP managed alone the year before. Software for both handhelds came in at 5.8 million, down from the PSP’s 6.6 million in 2011.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2012/08/30/vita-sales-are-where-we-would-expect-it-to-be-says-sony-ceo-kazuo-hirai/feed/1“One Sony” is the new mantra for getting the firm out of financial difficulty, says Househttp://www.vg247.com/2012/06/28/one-sony-is-the-new-mantra-for-getting-the-firm-out-of-financial-difficulty-says-house/
http://www.vg247.com/2012/06/28/one-sony-is-the-new-mantra-for-getting-the-firm-out-of-financial-difficulty-says-house/#commentsThu, 28 Jun 2012 16:06:00 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=273468Andrew House, head of Sony’s global games division, has said the PlayStation brand can help Sony financially recover, and boost the firm after reporting an annual record annual loss of £3.6 billion in May.

Speaking with CVG, House said while there is a “heightened sense of concern and urgency in the company,” over the financial situation, Sony CEO Kaz Hirai has forced the team to think about said urgency, and the team at Sony is now focused on working extremely hard at getting things back in order.

“Gone are the days when individual divisions’ concerns would somehow overreach the major challenges of the organisation overall,” said House. “On the positive side, there’s a tremendous sense of teamwork and a sense of shared objective, which is to turn around the situation we have right now. And I think we benefit from some very strong clarity from Kaz, both internally and externally, and with the same message to both.

“‘One Sony’ is the mantra: it’s about pulling together the resources of the company in the best way possible, and with no fiefdoms and no infighting to be tolerated. There’s a sense that Kaz is a change-agent: he has absolutely set out his mantra that Sony will change and he will change Sony.”

House said the Sony Computer Entertainment division benefits due to its profitability in the firm, by making a strong contribution to the financial situation.

“We feel very strongly that the area of networked and interactive entertainment is one of very strong potential growth,” he said. “That was reinforced when, as part of his very first strategy briefing, Kaz was very clear about three core areas of the business which he felt were critical to growing Sony’s presence overall. We’re fortunate enough to be one of those core businesses.

“That comes with pressure, obviously, in terms of being able to deliver, but we’re in a spot where we are making a profitable contribution, and there are opportunities for us to invest in the future.”

It was announced today that Hirai has stepped aside from his role as representative director and chairman on the SCE board in order to focus more on the company as a whole.

Hirai became CEO and president of the Sony Corporation on April 1.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2012/06/28/one-sony-is-the-new-mantra-for-getting-the-firm-out-of-financial-difficulty-says-house/feed/0Hirai drops PlayStation jobhttp://www.vg247.com/2012/06/27/hirai-drops-playstation-job/
http://www.vg247.com/2012/06/27/hirai-drops-playstation-job/#commentsWed, 27 Jun 2012 09:31:38 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=272951Kaz Hirai has stepped aside from his role as representative director and chairman on the Sony Computer Entertainment board. Hirai became CEO and president of the Sony Corporation on April 1. Thanks, GI.
]]>http://www.vg247.com/2012/06/27/hirai-drops-playstation-job/feed/9PlayStation Vita sales hit 1.8 million worldwidehttp://www.vg247.com/2012/05/10/playstation-vita-sales-hit-1-8-million-worldwide/
http://www.vg247.com/2012/05/10/playstation-vita-sales-hit-1-8-million-worldwide/#commentsThu, 10 May 2012 14:01:35 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=257752Sony’s confirmed sales of PlayStation Vita are at 1.8 million units.

The company held back numbers in the release of its financials earlier this morning. But CEO Kaz Hirai specified the figure in the earnings call this morning.

“About Vita, the last year, [we sold] 1.8 million units for US, Japan, Asia and Europe,” Hirai said in the call, as quoted by EG.

That means at least 600,000 units were sold in March before the end of the financial year on March 31. It follows slow sales of the system in Japan, which now appear to be creeping into the west.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2012/05/10/playstation-vita-sales-hit-1-8-million-worldwide/feed/9Analysts: Sony could defray costs by stripping down PSN’s free services, employ more “freemium” contenthttp://www.vg247.com/2012/04/14/analysts-sony-could-defray-costs-by-stripping-down-psns-free-services-employ-more-freemium-content/
http://www.vg247.com/2012/04/14/analysts-sony-could-defray-costs-by-stripping-down-psns-free-services-employ-more-freemium-content/#commentsSat, 14 Apr 2012 19:25:26 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=251043As Sony CEO Kazuo Hirai restructures the firm with a renewed focus on the PlayStation brand, and looks to “increase sales” via downloadable titles and subscription services through PlayStation Network, analysts believe consumers may soon see a vastly different PSN than what they’ve become accustomed to.

Spealing with GI International, Wedbush’s Michael Pachter said it was unlikely Sony would go the Xbox Live route with PSN by charging for it, but he does foresee the firm stripping down what is free and what is not.

“I think it’s unlikely that they will require a fee, but think they will strip down the free version to multiplayer and not much else in order to encourage people to pay the fee, said Pachter.

Billy Pidgeon of M2 Research agreed, citing the cost of providing networked services, explaining Sony could “defray those costs” while also benefiting from “the currently employed freemium model,” and charging for “enhanced, tiered and incremental items, services and add-ons.” He said that the firm should also look into partnering with more subscription services such as Microsoft did with HBO, ESPN and others.

“The PlayStation Plus program provides great incentives for subscribers, and Sony can get more revenue from advertising, item transactions and specialized services to enhance specific aspects of online gameplay such as custom content and rules for use for individuals, guilds and other groups,” he said. “Sony should also move quickly to shift paid content other than gaming to the network.”

However, Asif Khan, CEO of Panoptic Management Consultants feels Sony should go another route by not “making so many products,” as streamlining the product line “would lower costs” and help curtail the company’s “downright atrocious” profit margins.

Khan also said he feels SCEA would be “better off as a spun-off company,” but Sony would never allow it as SCEA has “some of the best margins and earnings growth in the entire organization.”

Hirai announced earlier this week Sony would be reducing its headcount across the corporation by 10,000 during fiscal year 2012, the restructuring process would end up costing the firm ¥75 billion yen.

Earlier this week, the firm also reported a ¥520 billion ($6.4 billion) annual loss for the financial year ending March 31, due to additional tax expenses from the US.

Today’s £4 billion loss is eye-watering stuff, but don’t let it distract you from the reality – the problems at Sony run much, much deeper than its balance sheet. Hirai shouldn’t be losing much sleep over the ¥300 billion taxation charge that’s caused so many headlines; but then again, he shouldn’t be sleeping too soundly in the first place.

When former PlayStation boss Kazuo Hirai took over as head of Sony recently, journalists around the globe reached for their Big Book of Cliches. He had, apparently, a mountain to climb. He was confronted with a huge task. It would be an uphill struggle. There was a long road ahead. In summary – Sony’s a bit screwed right now, and Hirai’s going to have to make a lot of very tough and very clever decisions if he’s going to unscrew it.

That’s a lot of money. Except that I want to sound the first note of caution – it’s actually not a lot of money. Yes, £4 billion would buy you a fair few fish suppers, but I say “it’s not a lot of money” because the reality is that it never actually existed. Sony didn’t have four billion quid and then lose it. The accounting behind this figure is a bit more complex.

Sony had what are called “deferred tax assets” in the United States. These are essentially agreements with the US government which would allow the company to enjoy tax credits on its future income. Because of how corporate accounting works, they’re buried somewhere in Sony’s labyrinthine balance sheet as a great big asset – even though they don’t actually exist yet, since they’re just a promise to give the firm tax credits at some point in the future. For various reasons (largely, I believe, the fact that the company isn’t making enough money to actually use those credits), they’re no longer usable, so they have to be taken off the balance sheet – and that means the accountants have to register them as a “loss”, since they’re money (well, “not-money”) disappearing off Sony’s books.

I don’t pretend to understand the full detail of what’s happening here – if I fully understood the intricacies of multi-billion-dollar corporate tax regimes, I think I’d be in a very different career (and live in a very different house, for that matter). However, the bottom line is this – Sony never actually had the ¥300 billion it just “lost”. It looks bloody awful for the company, but it’s an accounting blip rather than a fresh indication that Sony is doomed.

Unfortunately for Kaz Hirai’s hiking boots, though, the mountain that’s left to climb is still pretty steep. The company’s ¥520 billion loss this year will be its worst ever – but even if you take out the ¥300 billion charge from this US taxation peculiarity, you’re still left with a ¥220 billion loss, or a little over £1.7 billion. That’s admittedly a little bit better than last year, when the company lost ¥260 billion – but last year, Sony actually had an operating profit (which is a better way of evaluating whether a firm’s core business is actually making money) of ¥200 billion. This year, it made an operating loss of ¥95 billion, which basically means that its actual business activities – making stuff and selling it – lost a vast amount of money in 2011.

Sony tried to soften the blow today by announcing that in the coming year, they’re going to make a ¥180 billion operating profit – although they didn’t say what would happen to the firm’s sales, which fell nearly 11% in 2011 compared with 2010. If I were to guess, though, I’d say that Hirai would probably be comfortable with a smaller, leaner Sony that can actually make a profit. He’s going to announce his plans for the company soon, but we’ve already heard that 10,000 job cuts are imminent. The rumour in Japan is that the axe will fall hardest overseas, and that’s a bit worrying, because it might suggest that Hirai doesn’t have what it takes to face down Sony’s powerful Japanese executives – the executives who have stubbornly kept the company deeply committed to areas where it can’t possibly hope to make a profit any more, like portable music players and television sets.

Squeezed between hugely powerful and successful rivals – Apple, Samsung, Microsoft and a host of others besides – and under pressure from a historically strong yen which makes it hard to turn a profit overseas, Sony’s challenges are mounting up. The company’s first foreign CEO, British-born Sir Howard Stringer, tried to bring in sweeping changes – but failed to turn the company around. Hirai is younger, deeply versed in the company’s successes with PlayStation, and his education and experience is truly international. He’ll need all of that and more if he’s going to turn Sony, the company which once inspired a young Steve Jobs to emulate it with his fledgling computer manufacturer, into a success story once again. Today’s £4 billion loss is eye-watering stuff, but don’t let it distract you from the reality – the problems at Sony run much, much deeper than its balance sheet. Hirai shouldn’t be losing much sleep over the ¥300 billion taxation charge that’s caused so many headlines; but then again, he shouldn’t be sleeping too soundly in the first place.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2012/04/10/why-sonys-4-billion-loss-isnt-the-disaster-it-seems/feed/38Hirai to spearhead new Sony strategy announcement next weekhttp://www.vg247.com/2012/04/05/hirai-to-spearhead-new-sony-strategy-announcement-next-week/
http://www.vg247.com/2012/04/05/hirai-to-spearhead-new-sony-strategy-announcement-next-week/#commentsThu, 05 Apr 2012 09:40:33 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=249105New Sony CEO Kaz Hirai is set to announce a new strategy plan that will pull the company out of the red in a presentation next Thursday. The presentation will be broadcasted live in audio form, with the newly-inducted CEO at the helm of the call.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2012/04/05/hirai-to-spearhead-new-sony-strategy-announcement-next-week/feed/25Quick Quotes: Hirai on tackling Sony’s hardware woeshttp://www.vg247.com/2012/02/03/quick-quotes-hirai-on-tackling-sonys-hardware-woes/
http://www.vg247.com/2012/02/03/quick-quotes-hirai-on-tackling-sonys-hardware-woes/#commentsFri, 03 Feb 2012 18:29:33 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=231286“I thought turning around the PlayStation business was going to be the toughest challenge of my career, but I guess not. It’s one issue after another. I feel like ‘Holy shit, now what?’ We can’t just continue to be a great purveyor of hardware products, even though some people expect us to do that. We really need to buckle down and be realistic. I don’t think everybody is on board, but I think people are coming around to the idea that if we don’t turn this around, we could be sitting in some serious trouble.” – Sony CEO Kaz Hirai on fixing the firm’s hardware business to The Wall Street Journal.
]]>http://www.vg247.com/2012/02/03/quick-quotes-hirai-on-tackling-sonys-hardware-woes/feed/32PlayStation business aiming to be number one, says Hiraihttp://www.vg247.com/2012/02/03/playstation-business-aiming-to-be-number-one-says-hirai/
http://www.vg247.com/2012/02/03/playstation-business-aiming-to-be-number-one-says-hirai/#commentsFri, 03 Feb 2012 07:45:50 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=231170New Sony boss Kaz Hirai has made no bones about it: he wants PlayStation to be in the number spot in the industry.

The new chief earmarked the games business, Sony’s digital imaging arm – cameras, basically – and mobile to be the three main areas the company can strengthen itself with.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2012/02/03/playstation-business-aiming-to-be-number-one-says-hirai/feed/9Kaz Hirai becomes president, CEO of Sony Corp – detailshttp://www.vg247.com/2012/02/01/sony-names-kaz-hirai-as-president-chairman/
http://www.vg247.com/2012/02/01/sony-names-kaz-hirai-as-president-chairman/#commentsWed, 01 Feb 2012 08:31:48 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=230393Kazuo Hirai will take over as president and CEO of Sony Corp from Sir Howard Stringer, the company’s announced this morning.

Stringer will remain in his current roles for now, as Hirai’s promotions won’t come into effect until April 1, 2012.

He’ll then become executive chairman until June, where he’ll become chairman of the board. Hirai’s new roles will be ratified at a shareholders meeting then.

Hirai, who’s been leading Sony Computer Entertainment in recent years as its president following the departure of PlayStation father Ken Kutaragi from the role in 2006, has been rumoured for the ascension for a while. The story intensified last month, but was debunked by Sony until today.

“I am grateful to Sir Howard and to the Board for their confidence in me, and I look forward to working with everyone at Sony more closely than ever before to build a strong future for our customers, shareholders, partners and employees,” said Hirai.

“The foundations are now firmly in place for the new management team and me to fully leverage Sony’s diverse electronics product portfolio, in conjunction with our rich entertainment assets and growing array of networked services, to engage with our customers around the world in new and exciting ways.”

Howard will take over from Yotaro Kobayashi as board chairman due to Kobayashi’s upcoming retirement.

“Kaz is a globally focused executive for whom technology and the cloud are familiar territory, content is highly valued, and digital transformation is second nature,” said Stringer.

“I believe his tough-mindedness and leadership skills will be of great benefit to the company and its customers in the months and years ahead. I look forward to helping Kaz in every way I can so that succession leads inevitably to success.”

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2012/02/01/sony-names-kaz-hirai-as-president-chairman/feed/12Hirai: PlayStation to lead Sony back into profitabilityhttp://www.vg247.com/2012/01/11/hirai-playstation-to-lead-sony-back-into-profitability/
http://www.vg247.com/2012/01/11/hirai-playstation-to-lead-sony-back-into-profitability/#commentsWed, 11 Jan 2012 10:04:18 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=225837Sony Corp EVP and SCE chairman Kaz Hirai has said the PlayStation business will bring back profitability to the company, beginning with the western launch of PlayStation Vita. Hirai made the quote in a CES roundtable to a group of journalists, reported by Reuters, alongside Sony Corp president Howard Stringer. Stringer insisted on his part in the roundtable, where Hirai had already mentioned there’d be no PS4 announcement for E3, that the company’s TV business would remain its main focal point.

Speaking to press at CES in Las Vegas, as reported by the Wall Street Journal, Hirai backed up recent comments from SCE boss Andrew House.

“Andy (House) is absolutely right in that we are not making any announcements at E3,” he said.

“I’ve always said a 10-year life cycle for PS3, and there is no reason to go away from that.”

The ever-present powder keg of next-gen hardware rumour exploded this week after a spark from MCV. The site claimed both a new Xbox and PlayStation console will be shown at E3 2012, citing third-party sources.

At least one new piece of hardware is expected in June, as Nintendo give a full reveal of Wii U, debuted last year after months of leaks – but nothing else is likely to surface.

SCE chairman and Sony Corp EVP Kazuo Hirai said 6.5 million units of PlayStation branded devices were sold during the recent holiday season – including the Vita, which provided a nice segue to announce Netflix for Vita in the US, which is targerted for a day one launch. Sony’s own Music Unlimited will be available for Vita from day one in the US and Europe.

According to Hirai, the Vita has passed 500,000 units sold in Japan, in just three weeks.

Sony Entertainment Network push
Sir Howard Stringer kicked off the conference, reaffirming his continuing role as president in the face of a rumoured retirement.

Sony pushed the Sony Entertainment Network strongly during the whole presentation, with Stringer highlighting Sony’s plans to have 300 million connected devices over the next three years, and the company’s commitment to “building a network platform to let you experience games, music, movies and TV whenever and however”. The president said over 100 million Sony TVs are connected to the Internet.

Hirai took the stage in his wake, again to begin with an emphasis on the SEN, noting the single log-in and digital wallet across “any connected device”. He noted that making new devices “isn’t the end goal”, and mentioned the PlayStation 3 video store’s facelift as an example of Sony’s push towards entertainment.

Music Unlimited – formerly Qriocity – had its own showcase, and is now available in Scandinavian territories. Hirai also gave Sony’s tablet range some love, discussing the devices’ access to the SEN as well as its PlayStation Certified status. Play Memories Online was unveiled – a cloud-based single service planned for a northern spring launch, allowing users to store and share photos and videos, including 3D content. Three new content editing suites were formally revealed; Play Memories Home, Play Memories Mobile and Play Memories Studios for PC, Bloggie Live and PlayStation 3 respectively.

Sony’s Bravia range is getting its usual annual working over, and several new GoogleTV and BluRay players were touched on, but of more interest to gamers, Hirai also mentioned several new Vaio designs, including a “slate”.

Phil Molyneux took the stage to discuss and debut a number of non-gaming consumer electronics devices, all of which seemed to boats an SEN connection of some kind – but most interestingly, showed off the Tablet P briefly. The dual screen Android tablet will allow users to view content on one screen and use touch controls on the other, and can be folded to fit in a pocket. No US launch date was revealed, although it’s already available elsewhere.

The Xperia S.

Hold the phone
Touching on the Sony Ericsson acquisition during the conference, Hirai debuted the mobile division’s new game – Sony Mobile Communications – and revealed a focus on HD experiences in the range of five flagship devices.

Ahead of the presser, Sony unveiled its latest PlayStation-certified smartphone – the Xperia S. While the slim design doesn’t sport traditional controller features like the slide-out on the Xperia Play, it’s a nice bit of kit for the touchscreen fanatic – Engadget reports the phone packs in a 4.3 inch 1280x 720 display, 1.5GHz CPU, 1GB of RAM, and either 16 or 32GB of memory – but no onboard memory. It’s expected globally in March.

A second new phone, the Xperia Ion, was shown during the conference. It’s also PlayStation certified, and boasts the highest resolution display of any Android device available in the US. It’s expected in northern spring, and is exclusive to AT&T within the US.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2012/01/10/sony-ces-2012-500000-vitas-sold-two-new-ps-suite-phones-in-2012/feed/8Sony dismisses report claiming Hirai is replacing Stringerhttp://www.vg247.com/2012/01/06/kazuo-hirai-to-replace-howard-stringer-as-sony-president-by-early-april/
http://www.vg247.com/2012/01/06/kazuo-hirai-to-replace-howard-stringer-as-sony-president-by-early-april/#commentsFri, 06 Jan 2012 18:04:41 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=225068Sony has dismissed a recent report which claimed the company was planning to replace current president Howard Stringer with Kazuo Hirai.

According to PC World, the firm has denied the a Nikkei business report, which stated once the firm’s fiscal quarter ended on March 31, the firm would replace Stringer with Hirai, currently the firm’s deputy president. Stringer was to remain chairman and CEO.

The report stated that Hirai’s appointment was expected to be finalized during next month’s board meeting.

Hirai said Sony is already “in discussions with non-Sony companies to bring them onboard,” but declined to name names until an official announcement can be made.

The Suite offers a cross-platform PlayStation-certified development and publishing environment. It’s compatible with three existing Android devices – Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Play, Sony Tablet S and Sony Tablet P. It is expected to expand to both Vita and PlayStation 3 in the future.

In February, Sony noted that it had an “open stance” to expanding the Suite to other platforms.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2011/10/21/sony-in-discussions-to-expand-playstation-suite-platforms/feed/0Hirai: Vita to get 2011 JP launch, early 2012 for US/EUhttp://www.vg247.com/2011/08/04/hirai-confirms-end-of-year-japanese-vita-launch-early-2012-elsewhere/
http://www.vg247.com/2011/08/04/hirai-confirms-end-of-year-japanese-vita-launch-early-2012-elsewhere/#commentsThu, 04 Aug 2011 09:23:46 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=191663SCE chairman-to-be Kaz Hirai has confirmed that PlayStation Vita will not launch in Europe and the US until at least early 2012.

He said that it’ll go on sale in Japan by the end of 2011, according to an AP report.

It confirms previous suspections that the handheld would go on sale in Japan this year. SCEA boss Jack Tretton said that it would ship worldwide by the end of FY2012, but didn’t note if it would be in the calendar year.

This is despite previous comments from Hirai at Sony’s E3 press conference this year, in which he said that it would roll out the device by the end of 2011.

We were told earlier this year that Vita would be out in Europe at least by early 2012, but that Sony was being secretive over its launch plans to developers.

What happened: Sony shouted “change places,” and execs scattered every which way. Or maybe everyone fought to the death using old prototype PS3 banana controllers. We’re not really sure how it works over there. Regardless, former SCEE head Andrew House took the reins to SCE’s entire international operation, and Kaz Hirai dove for the comfy beanbag marked “chairman.” Ken Kutargai, meanwhile, came up short and stormed out, mumbling “Man, who needs those guys anyway? My perfectly rendered ducks are the only ones who understand me.”

What it means: According to the Internet, hackers took a boot to Sony’s precious hideaway, and now – like a bunch of ants – execs are dashing around to pick up the pieces. Problem is, Sony’s not a purely reactive ant hill; it’s carefully structured company. As such, our friendly neighborhood Rob Fahey put to rest any notion of post-apocalyPSN shenanigans. The short version? Sony’s clearing out its old guard of engineers-turned-execs in favor of silver-tongued masters of one almighty language: business. After the bleeding-edge hotrod that is the PS3 stalled at the starting line, it’s not at all surprising.

Certainly, the prospect of savvy, sweet-talking businessmen taking over where – at least, stereotypically speaking – honest, hard-working console-makers once ruled doesn’t spark the nicest gut reaction. On the other hand, the PS3 – to this day – is riddled with user-unfriendly annoyances (Installs! Firmware updates! The slow erosion of your ability to love!), so we’re looking forward to a focus on something a bit less obtuse.

What happened: If you’re reading this website, you probably don’t think that videogames are Satan’s latest attempt at tempting your children to become awful delinquents who watch PG-rated films and sneak out after 7:36 PM. But some people do, and one of them once played a robot from the future whose defining personality trait was murder. The world is a strange place. Anyway, the whole Katamari of clashing ideals and agendas rolled into the Supreme Court, which finally shot the darn bill down. For now, anyway.

What it means: If this bill had passed, it’d have set the gaming industry back so many years that it’d probably have been devoured by a dinosaur. In essence, it would have allowed certain games to be equated with the likes of pornography, which – for obvious reasons – wouldn’t fly at the majority of US retailers. And if, say, Wal-Mart’s not going to give your game the time of day, then you may as well put the thing out of its misery long before its abysmal sales become the source of yours. No, M-rated games wouldn’t have been outlawed, but money talks, and this bill would have given it a comically oversized megaphone. In short, thank goodness for the First Amendment.

Better still, protection under the First Amendment should – barring some Phoenix Wright-worthy loophole – prove powerful enough to keep the gaming industry safe from further attempts at government “regulation.” After all, videogames now occupy the same hallowed legal halls as books, movies, and television. Singling them out for “objectionable content,” then, is to stir the hornet’s nest and pick a fight with everybody. Granted, where there’s a will, there’s a way. For now, though, folks like senator Leland Yee have no choice but to harmlessly walk away grumbling about “rights of parents” and limiting their ability to actually, you know, parent in the same sentence.

What happened: Capcom dropped a Raccoon City sized bomb when it confirmed that Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D lacked the ability to delete save files. In response, retailers like EB Games Australia refused to let the game infest their shelves altogether. Meanwhile, pissed-off gamers – somewhat fittingly – pissed all over the game, turning its Amazon review section into an ugly mess. Capcom then did an awful clean-up job with an explanation that attempted the “woooo, technology is confusing and hard” angle on a crowd of tech-savvy Internet geeks.

What it means: Is Capcom declaring war on the second-hand game sales market? The Internet seems to think so, but there’s another side to the story that warrants consideration: The Mercenaries 3D is kind of a half-assed product. It’s a bite-sized minigame appetizer for Resident Evil: Revelations’ main course, and boy does it show. It’s entirely possible that – in the process of pushing this thing out the door – Capcom simply didn’t care enough to include a crucial feature. The game’s absurdly barebones in every other way; what’s to say the same quick-and-dirty philosophy didn’t rear its ugly head here?

Regardless, retailers completely flipped, which just goes to show how utterly reliant on second-hand sales that market can be. After all, Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D isn’t even a particularly significant title. Put simply, we don’t imagine Modern Warfare 3’s waking up and frantically hugging each of its money bags after dreaming of this game. But that didn’t stop EB Games, GameStop, and HMV from treating it like a ticking time bomb seconds away from exploding on their shelves.

What happened: That email you recently received stating that your credit card info, address, and beloved pet cat had all been released onto the Internet’s back alleys by a band of power-mad hackers? Yeah, you can thank these guys for that. LulzSec spent 50 days as the gaming industry’s new boogieman. Then the shadowy organization abruptly descended, well, back into the shadows. More shadows than it previously had, though – just to be clear. By our calculations, it could very well have doubled its shadow count.

What it means: Well, evergreen online force-to-be-reckoned-with Anonymous claimed to be picking up where LulzSec left off, but so far, the so-called “Anti-Sec” movement has yet to ripple back into the gaming world. For now, then, it’s back to business as usual after hackers ruled the headlines for months on end. We highly doubt, however, that this is over. It may not be LulzSec or Anonymous, but the gaming industry’s proven itself an easy target, and 15 seconds in the spotlight – ill-gotten or not – are hard to resist. Hopefully, though, LulzSec’s tear was enough of a kick in the pants to ensure that the gaming industry doesn’t get caught with its guard down again – or at least, not to this degree. On that front, only time will tell.

What happened: After a long period of coy mystery mongering, Bungie finally took the wraps off its Aerospace program. In a nutshell, it gives awesome indie games a chance to shine – instead of being crowded out by social and mobile titles with marketing bucks to spare.

What it means: This is all kinds of interesting, but gamers pretty much wrote it off as “Not Master Chief on a guitar-powered rocket-cycle. Next!” For one, it’s a major developer nearly assuming a publishing role for smaller developers, which – taking Activision into account – creates some sort of weird Russian matryoshka doll scenario. For another, this seems like a backdoor entrance into the mobile and social space for a triple-A dev like Bungie, whose resources are currently focused full-steam-ahead on a larger game. Meanwhile, many major developers are still sleeping on both spaces despite their obvious enormity, so taking initiative by helping out smaller, quicker teams will put Bungie on the map and miles ahead of the competition.

Also of note: hardcore gamers’ cynicism toward mobile and social gaming is pretty much notorious at this point, but a few nudges from revered sources like Bungie might change that. And really, most “gamer’s games” that light up App Store sales charts do so on brand power alone (or, in Gameloft’s case, shameless theft). Bungie’s program, on the other hand, promotes a more quality focused scene – at least, assuming it can draw an audience. Fingers crossed, anyway.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2011/07/02/the-weekly-wrap-%e2%80%93-sonys-exec-shuffle-violent-games-law-fails/feed/2Musical chairs: Why Sony’s exec shuffle matters to gamershttp://www.vg247.com/2011/06/30/musical-chairs-why-sonys-exec-shuffle-matters-to-gamers/
http://www.vg247.com/2011/06/30/musical-chairs-why-sonys-exec-shuffle-matters-to-gamers/#commentsThu, 30 Jun 2011 13:11:11 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=183525House takes over at SCE, Hirai becomes chairman and Kutaragi edges closer to the door – but what does it all mean for gamers? Rob Fahey answers the question.

Andrew House

Welshman Andrew House, 45, was promoted from President of SCEE this week to President and Group CEO at SCEI, the role previously held by longstanding PlayStation frontman, Kaz Hirai. He joined Sony in 1990.

Surrounded by so many technological distractions, it’s easy to forget the simpler pleasures of yesteryear – the games which held our attention long before we knew what a polygon was. There’s one ancient game, though, which the digital entertainment purveyors at Sony seem to remember well – musical chairs.

It’s only a couple of years since Andrew House took over at Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, and now he’s jetting off to a new seat in Japan – heading up the whole PlayStation business as president and CEO. That’s a chair that’ll still be warm when he first sits in it, since it’ll have been vacated moments earlier by Kaz Hirai – who’s shuffled through most of the top jobs in SCE in the past few years, and is now headed for the Chairman’s role.

When the music stops this time, there’ll be a few people left standing. Present chairman Akira Sato is retiring from the group, although he’s never been a hugely recognisable name anyway – he’s always been overshadowed by bigger personalities like Hirai and, of course, Ken Kutaragi, another man who’ll no longer have a comfy chair at Sony after this reshuffle. Kutaragi, the “Father of PlayStation,” was essentially ousted from SCE back in 2007, but he’s held on to a somewhat meaningless “Honorary Chairman” role ever since. Now that’s gone as well, and Kutaragi is relegated to a “technology advisory role”.

What does it all mean? Is it just a reshuffling of titles, the product of some arcane internal politics at the giant Japanese firm, or can we read something about the future of Sony and PlayStation into these appointments? Does this just mean that Kaz Hirai gets a parking space a bit closer to the front door, or should gamers actually care?

A few commentators have tried to link the reshuffle to the recent PSN fiasco, and it’s easy to see how that’s a tempting conclusion. Hirai, in particular, has been in the firing line over the PSN security failures – failures which this week led to an embarrassing (but easily defeated) call for the resignation of Sony boss Sir Howard Stringer at the company’s shareholder meeting in Tokyo.

Yet this isn’t a conclusion that makes any sense. Certainly, it’s normal in Japanese business (and indeed in Japanese politics) for a senior executive to take the fall for a major public failure. That’s normally a pretty theatrical and stage-managed affair – there’s a press conference at which the fall-guy bows, scrapes and apologises a lot, with extra bonus points for actually getting on their knees in front of the audience and crying profusely. A few months to a year or two later, the same chap will quietly be shuffled back into a senior position, his career none the worse for wear.

That’s obviously not what’s happening at Sony. Nobody is being shuffled out or sent on gardening leave – this isn’t a consequence of what’s happened with PSN, and instead, it’s probably a move that’s been planned and discussed by SCE’s top management for at least a couple of years.

House’s party

There are two separate stories here. The first is about Andrew House, a 20-year Sony veteran who’s worked in a host of senior marketing positions across Japan and America – including being part of the team which coordinated the wildly successful marketing for the original PlayStation. Now that he’s going to be in charge of everything PlayStation, it seems obvious that his two-year stint as boss of SCEE was simply designed to add experience of Europe to his CV before shipping him back to Japan to run the whole division.

Kaz Hirai

Kazuo “Kaz” Hirai was born in Tokyo in 1960. He was yesterday promoted to Chairman of SCE. Current Chairman Akira Sato will retire from the role effective August 31. Hirai joined Sony Japan’s music division in 1984.

The second story is about Kaz Hirai, and in ways, it mirrors House’s story. He’s been with Sony for over 25 years, working in senior marketing roles in Japan and America – including a key role in establishing the PlayStation brand in America – before heading back to Japan to run the PlayStation business five years ago. Now Kaz has a new target in his sights – with the retirement of Sir Howard Stringer imminent (it’ll most likely happen in 2013, but perhaps as soon as 2012), he wants to be the next boss of Sony. Becoming chairman of SCE, a less hands-on role, gives him a chance to focus on that goal.

None of which, I guess, explains why gamers should care. There are a few reasons why this should be important to gamers, in fact, each of which tells us something about the future of the PlayStation and of Sony as a whole.

For a start, it looks like Sony Computer Entertainment is finally on track to fulfil what’s seemed to be its destiny for almost a decade, by getting one of its bosses promoted to head up the entirety of Sony Corporation. Ken Kutaragi was once thought to be a shoo-in for the job, but his golden boy image took a knock when the PlayStation Portable was eclipsed by Nintendo’s DS, and was irreparably damaged by the enormous cost and early slow sales of the PlayStation 3. Kutaragi’s tech-obsessed, engineering-led approach took much of the blame for the PS3’s troubles, and his abrasive public persona (remember him claiming that we’d all happily work second jobs to afford a PS3?) didn’t help either.

Instead, the torch passes to Hirai – a liberal arts graduate whose background is in marketing and management, not engineering, and a smooth-tongued public speaker (although the “Riiiiiiiiidge Raaacer!” soundbite will haunt him for the rest of his career, I suspect) with it. The antithesis to Kutaragi, in other words, but to some extent, Hirai is cut from the same cloth as Sir Howard Stringer, and is widely rumoured to be Sir Howard’s own choice of successor.

Also cut from the same cloth is Andrew House, of course – and it’s here that you start to see Sony’s real story emerging. It’s the same story that’s been emerging for the past five years, in many ways. It’s the defeat of the engineers, the gradual edging out of people with a background in hardware and the replacement of men who talk in terms of chipsets and clock speeds with men who talk in terms of demographics and audiences. Kaz Hirai’s replacement of Ken Kutaragi is just one aspect of this. The rise of Andrew House to replace him confirms that Hirai isn’t a blip – he’s brought his own people with him, and the engineers aren’t going to be given a chance to run the show again.

That sounds a little sad – we all love the idea of the guys who actually make stuff being able to run their own companies, after all. On the other hand, the Sony Computer Entertainment that’s emerging from all of this is probably a lot better for developers, and ultimately for gamers.

Kutaragi and his compatriots had a tendency to try to push the limits of hardware design, without really caring what developers wanted or needed, or considering what their rivals were doing. House and Hirai couldn’t care less about hardware – they just want it to serve a purpose, and that purpose is delivering a console that developers can write great software for and consumers can buy at an affordable price. The story of Sony over the past five years is that of a gradual and sometimes painful transition from the former kind of thinking to the latter. This week’s promotions are important to gamers, because they prove that the latter thinking has won out – and suggest that before long, SCE’s new management style will be in command of Sony as a whole.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2011/06/30/musical-chairs-why-sonys-exec-shuffle-matters-to-gamers/feed/7Hirai becomes SCEI chairman, House takes over as presidenthttp://www.vg247.com/2011/06/29/scee-head-andew-house-becomes-scei-president/
http://www.vg247.com/2011/06/29/scee-head-andew-house-becomes-scei-president/#commentsWed, 29 Jun 2011 07:31:17 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=183104Sony’s just announced the appointment of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe boss Andrew House as the president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment International.

Previous CEO and president Kaz Hirai has stepped aside from House’s new roles to become chairman. Current chairman Akira Sato will retire from the role effective as of August 31.

PlayStation creator Ken Kutaragi has stood down as honorary chairman from SCEI as of yesterday, but will maintain a senior technology advisory role within Sony.

SCEE executive vice-president and co-COO Jim Ryan will take over House’s role.

These roles are affective as of September 1.

“In fiscal 2010, we achieved profitability for the first time in five years as a result of group-wide united efforts, including continuous cost reduction for PS3 in which I first took the initiative after assuming President of SCEI in December 2006,” said Hirai.

“We are facing new challenges this year, such as the successful launch of PlayStation Vita and further growth of PS3 platform as well as expansion of non-gaming business. I’m confident that the skills and expertise Andy has gained over two decades working for Sony and SCE Group will contribute enormously in leading the PlayStation business and to bring new initiatives in managing the business in the networked era.”

“Since returning to SCE two years ago, I have focused on further expanding our business in the European/PAL territories and regaining our market leadership there,” said House on his new appointment.

“It is both an honour and a privilege to be named as President and Group CEO at SCEI. I believe there is huge potential for further growth of our business globally, and I’m looking forward to working with everyone in the SCE Group and with other groups in Sony to help achieve this potential by pursuing the creation of brand new user experiences.”

“I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the great support from third party game developers and publishers and particularly to the wonderful creators all over the world,” said Sato on his retirement.

“Without the great content from a wide spectrum of genres made by third party game developers and publishers, as well as SCE Worldwide Studios, PlayStation would not be where it is now.”

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2011/06/29/scee-head-andew-house-becomes-scei-president/feed/14Sony “may never know” if hackers stole anything during PSN breachhttp://www.vg247.com/2011/06/09/sony-may-never-know-if-hackers-stole-anything-during-psn-breach/
http://www.vg247.com/2011/06/09/sony-may-never-know-if-hackers-stole-anything-during-psn-breach/#commentsThu, 09 Jun 2011 17:02:50 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=178902PlayStation boss Kaz Hirai has been talking to a lot of different folks during E3 this year, and the BBC was no exception. According to an interview with the outlet, Hirair said Sony “may never know” what data was stolen by hackers when they breached PSN’s security system.

Hirai told the BBC that the 100 million PSN account’s “information was accessed,” but the firm is unsure as to “what part,” was actually stolen from the servers.

“The people that intruded our systems are very good in hiding their tracks as they left our systems, so we might not know for a very long time or we may never know.”

Hirai also said that if “any credit card information was taken”, the firm is unsure, but it”shared that as a potential possibility” in order to ensure the safety of consumer data..

He goes on to tell the BBC basically the same thing he told the Guardian, that such breaches are not just a Sony issue, but one affecting all organizations and that all firms no matter how big or small need to be “very vigilant about how [credit card]data is being secured.”

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2011/06/09/sony-may-never-know-if-hackers-stole-anything-during-psn-breach/feed/6Sony: “A lot more headroom left” in PS3, says it’s not “slipping behind the times”http://www.vg247.com/2011/06/09/sony-a-lot-more-headroom-left-in-ps3-says-its-not-slipping-behind-the-times/
http://www.vg247.com/2011/06/09/sony-a-lot-more-headroom-left-in-ps3-says-its-not-slipping-behind-the-times/#commentsThu, 09 Jun 2011 15:30:11 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=178857Kaz Hirai has said some people though a 10-year life cycle for a console like PS3 “sounded great,” but were still a bit skeptical over the possibility of it actually happening.

Speaking with the Guardian, Hirai said PS3 is growing with the times and will continue to do so.

“One of the things that we always talked about is the 10-year life cycle,” he said. “When we launched the PS3 back in 2006, one of the questions I kept getting asked was why we were putting so much technology into a piece of equipment that was basically a games console. At the time, I said we were looking at a 10-year life cycle. We wanted to make sure we could adapt as new technology was brought on board. A lot of people at the time said that while it all sounded great, they didn’t believe it.

“The plain fact is, the PS3 has grown with the times. The most recent example was the firmware upgrade for all of the PS3s to be 3D compatible, which is something no other console could do. And to this day, there’s still a lot more headroom left in the PS3. That, again, is a function of the initial investments we made, both in terms of technology as well as financial investments for the components.

“You probably hear a lot things about the PS3, but one thing you won’t hear is that it’s slipping behind the times.”

Hirai goes on to say that since Sony is “not in the hardware business,” whether or not PS3 is profitable or not is a “moot point,” because Sony is in the entertainment business.

“We look at the totality between hardware, software and peripherals and whether it’s profitable as a platform,” he explained. “Having said that – because everyone is so interested – yes, we are profitable on the PS3 hardware and we’ll continue to be profitable on the PS3 hardware… Whether we’re profitable or not in the hardware alone, that doesn’t really address the bigger picture.”